How long have you been riding and how did you get into it?
Since 2020. I had an interest in horses. Close to Christmas, I talked about it with my parents. Then I got money for lessons, and it started from there. I just remember always wanting horse toys when I was younger. My room used to be horse themed. I don’t know what it was that first got me interested in horses, I just saw them and thought they were cool.
What’s your favorite thing about horse riding?
There’s a lot. I like working with horses, and it’s really nice whenever your hard work pays off when you’ve been working at something for a long time. It’s really calming to be with the horses. They’re living animals, they have their own personalities, so it’s nice to get to know each one of them and how they differ. It’s rewarding when you know that you’ve done well and they respect you.
How do you feel when you’re riding?
Sometimes in control and sometimes not. I’ve fallen I don’t know how many times. It definitely does make you a better rider. You kind of have to learn how to fall in a way that prevents you from getting hurt as much as you can. You have to get your confidence back, and it makes you a better rider when you get over a fall that was scary. Stuff happens. There’s a lot of things you can’t control and so you just have to learn to adapt. You have to be really flexible because horses are horses. They have a mind of their own. They’re not going to listen to you all the time.
What types of riding have you done and which do you like better?
I like eventing better. I think I just like the concept of the sport better. I started in saddleseat and that’s a lot different than eventing, which is what I do now. I had the basics, but I just had to relearn a bunch of stuff. For saddleseat, the saddle is completely different and the goal is really different. You’re supposed to make your horse look as nice as possible. They carry their heads really high and they step really high. It’s about making them look showy and making them look nice. Eventing, that’s dressage, show jumping and cross country, where you basically have to get good scores and get good times. In Dressage, there are certain tests you have to do that show you how well you work with your horse and how well your horse responds to you. Show jumping is jumping over jumps with poles that can fall down, and cross country is jumping with things that don’t fall down. That’s a little more dangerous. Show jumping is sometimes inside and sometimes outside, and then cross country is always outside.
Have you competed in or watched competitions?
I have and I plan on continuing. I’m going to do shows when I can. The one show I did do was a pretty low key event. It was showjumping and I was the only one that went clear, which means that I didn’t knock any jumps down or have any time penalties. I’ve gone to a few that I haven’t ridden in but that I’ve gone to watch. A main one was the Grand Prix with the Kentucky 3-Day Event, which is a really big eventing competition. I’ve also gone and volunteered at Hoosier Horse Park. I’ve done jump crew, so basically I just set up the jumps that are in the arena, and if a rider knocks them down, I put them back up. With that, you have to run into the arena and then run out before the next rider comes. There have been a lot of shows that my barn has gone to, so then I’ve gone with them to watch and support some of my friends who were competing.
What about the work outside of riding the horse?
It’s kind of like a job. It is a job technically. I’ll do my stalls either before or after my lesson, kind of just mucking out. Horses are all super different. You have to learn feeding and they all get different amounts of things. Some of them get certain supplements and some of them don’t. There’s definitely a lot of money and time that goes into it. It’s a sport you have to really commit to: caring for the horses and actually learning about the horse. You have to learn all their anatomy and basic care and first aid. You have to learn the basics so you can see the signs if they are in pain. Bonding with your horse, that’s important too. Even if you don’t own a horse, getting to know each and every horse.
Could you see yourself involving horse riding in your career?
If that was an option I would definitely want to. Teaching it, working at a barn, something like that. I was a camp counselor for a couple different years and got to teach younger kids basic things about horses like their care and riding. I’ve thought of a few colleges. I would prefer to be closer to here, in state or around Indiana because that would be easier. I’ve considered schools like Earlham or Saint Mary-of-the-Woods to study equine studies.
